Edit: note that Presque Isle State Park is closed for vehicle traffic Sunday, 10 September 2023, until 12 noon, for the Erie Marathon.

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ABA Warning: This post Rated PG-13 for fish gore, bird-on-fish violence, and exuberant flora. Viewer discretion is advised.

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More from last weekend at Headlands Beach in Mentor, OH! #more_Osprey

Perhaps due to human presence (even at a distance), this bird was moving its fish/lunch from location to location down the beach.

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Meanwhile, a couple other Osprey were flying high overhead:

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Back with the fish:

Interesting the fish’s head was the first to go. Apparently it’s the ‘tasty bits!’

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Great sighting of juvenile Red-headed Woodpecker:

Now it’s over to the Mentor Marsh Nature Center; nice trail through the woods with an observation platform overlooking the marsh:

Not much bird activity here; Cardinal, Nuthatch, Carolina Wren, Blue Jay, and this fine Brown Thrasher:

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Finally, a quick stop at the great Wakerobin Boardwalk Trail off Woodridge Ln:

Bird activity: GBH, Barn Swallow and/or Tree Swallow, Wood Duck, American Crow, Song Sparrow (?), and the day’s highlight – and a BirdingPI.com ‘first sighting ever’ (!) – a beautiful female (or male w/ nonbreeding plumage) Bobolink:

Here at BirdingPI.com, we’re heavy into leveraging AI. Soon everything will be computer generated, even the bird pictures. (After all, the quality of the content here can’t get much worse.)

Let’s compare commonly available tools for “writing a bar joke with a blue jay, a red-winged blackbird, and a northern flicker.”

Microsoft’s Bing: “A Blue Jay, a Red-winged Blackbird, and a Northern Flicker walk into a bar. The bartender looks at them and says, ‘What is this, some kind of joke?'” [<– actual result]

Open AI’s ChatGPT:

“Q: Why did the Blue Jay, the Red-winged Blackbird, and the Northern Flicker walk into a bar together?

A: Because they heard it was for the birds, and they wanted to wing it with some drinks and a peck-tacular time!” [<– actual result]

‘Real human being:’ “A Blue Jay, a Red-winged Blackbird, and a Northern Flicker walk into a bar. The bartender looks at them and tells the Blue Jay, ‘We don’t serve their kind here!'” [<– actual result]

You be the judge!

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All photographs (real photographs of real birds) along one of the Long Pond boat landing access trails, Presque Isle State Park.

As forecast, a cloudy Saturday morning here in Erie County, PA. Good trail conditions at Presque Isle State Park, but today’s the Barber Institute’s Beast on the Bay obstacle race (starting 8:30AM, presumably from the Budny Beach area, ending at Waldameer Amusement Park), so expect busy conditions and some trails either in-effect closed (e.g. Dead Pond) or hard to access (e.g., Gull Point).

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While waiting for more warbler or shorebird sightings, here’s recent content, off Long Pond, of BirdingPI.com’s “favourite heron regularly seen at Presque Isle.” (Sorry, GBH.)

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“Word of mouth” reports indicate significant, if someone sporadic/variable, bird activity over the week at Presque Isle. Happy birding!

Not quite a warbler ‘wonderland’ last weekend, but the activity’s picking up; current BirdingPI.com “September warbler count” = 9 species.

These are recent sightings at Presque Isle State Park. First up, following’s likely all Cape May Warbler along the Pine Tree Trail; anecdotally, unusual amount of CMW activity this year.

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Beautiful Palm Warbler in non-breeding plumage:

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Another surprise, great to see this beautiful female Tennessee Warbler:

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Beautiful Black-throated Green Warbler:

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Moving away from Pine Tree Trail, here’s a Wilson’s Warbler (m) by Leo’s Landing:

Yellow Warbler at that same location (different days/times):

Finally for this post, a low-light shot of female Common Yellowthroat near Marina Lake:

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On a cloudy Friday, the Erie County forecast calls for continued cloudy conditions over the weekend. Happy birding nevertheless!

A great area for birding in southern Arizona: the little town of Patagonia. Paton Center for Hummingbirds, Patagonia Lake State Park, Borderlands Wildlife Preserve, etc. And here, The Nature Conservancy’s Patagonia-Sonoita Creek Preserve, a beautiful parcel of mixed woodland and grassland centered along a permanently-flowing section of Sonoita Creek.

Great spot for local mammals (e.g., deer and javelina/peccary both seen), insects, flowers, plants, and plenty of birds like Gray Hawk. (Gray Hawk spotted several times on this outing; sadly, no good pictures.)

Lots of beautiful Pipevine Swallowtail (a.k.a. Blue Swallowtail)(Battus philenor):

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Probably Dusky-capped Flycatcher:

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More hawk/tree @ Cooper’s Hawk:

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Bird of the day (besides Gray Hawk), the lovely not-a-parrot Western Tanager (m):

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Broad-billed Hummingbird adjacent feeders at the visitors’ center (‘cheating mode’ – feeders cropped out):

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Highly recommend a visit; closed on Mon/Tues. Entrance fee required with discount for TNC members.

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No affiliation, but please consider supporting The Nature Conservancy and its important mission + great spots like this.

ABA Warning: This post Rated PG-13 for fish gore, bird-on-fish violence, and smoking. Viewer discretion is advised.

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Dateline: 3 September 2023

A special report from BirdingPI.com’s occasional adjunct team in NE Ohio with a trip last Sunday to remarkable Lake Co, Ohio. Specifically, a great visit to Headlands Beach State Park and adjacent Mentor Marsh, Mentor, OH.

North end of Mentor Marsh (closest to Lake Erie) is Shipman Pond – great for Egrets, etc. (Tip: for easy access to Shipman Pond and SW end of Headlands Beach Park, park at the Zimmerman Trail lot off Headlands Rd and follow the blue-blazed trail across the road and through the park maintenance yard.)

Main beach at Headlands Beach is unremarkable (wide open and flat), but worth it for adjacent Headlands Dunes State Nature Preserve = great mix of beach, grassy dunes, & woodland border.

Couple nice shots of Cape May Warbler, showing a bit more typical colour:

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Other than gulls, etc., no shorebird activity. But lots of Osprey, including this beautiful bird and its fish lunch:

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Coming up soon, more Osprey x fish plus a BirdingPI.com “first sighting ever!” Wow.

Bonus post of content from the Mogollon Rim, Arizona area (& beyond!), back in August.

Appropriate for pine forest, a great sighting of a beautiful male Grace’s Warbler:

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A bit off the Rim, on another day, @ Fort Apache Historic Park:

Woodhouse’s Scrub Jay @ Fort Apache:

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Way far away, but similar environment @ Mt. Lemmon:

And a very cool sighting of Zone-tailed Hawk. Dark colouration like a Turkey Vulture, but note hawk beak, white band on tail, + underwing shading: light interior (w/ barring) and black/dark edges.

Introducing Squirreltraiture^TM, BirdingPI.com’s new squirrel photography service for NW Pennsylvania and surrounding areas!

Meet “Sir Edward,” pet Fox Squirrel of Mr. & Mrs. James St. John-Smythe of Girard, PA:

Such a handsome lad!

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If interested, please e-mail as per the “Contact Us” section of this website! Reasonable rates.

[Editor’s note: BirdingPI.com does not endorse keeping wild animals as pets.]

ABA Warning: This post contains two pictures of a cute snake. Parental guidance is suggested.

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Dateline: 2 September 2023

Partially sunny, warm, and humid this weekend in Erie County, PA. Saturday morning, nice day for a hike out to Gull Point, Presque Isle State Park; not many folks out.

Lots of Sanderling activity along the beach trail:

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Everyone loves the beach!

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The star of the day, another excellent sighting of lovely Whimbrel! (All shots at a distance from the observation platform.)

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Coming up soon, weekend warbler wonderland!

Multiple recent regional sightings of Cape May Warbler, including these from Gull Point, Presque Isle State Park, on Saturday. (By the mud flats just inside the tree line on the ‘outer old trail.’)

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ID notes: tough to ID due to fall juvenile or non-breeding plumage. Olive crown, gray cheek patch, dark eye line, black streaking from throat down onto breast and underside, yellow on face, throat, and breast, and white undertail coverlets. In comparison to this Palm Warbler at the same location, note its yellow undertail coverlets and brown streaking: